Press Release

Sunway Education Group Celebrates 5th Anniversary of 17 UN-SDG Launch with Board Game

Sunway Education Group Celebrates 5th Anniversary of 17 UN-SDG Launch with Board Game
Sunway City Kuala Lumpur,25 September 2020

Sunway University is introducing the “Are You the Master of Sustainability?” board game in commemoration of the launch of the 5th anniversary of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In recognition of Sunway’s staunch commitment to advancing the sustainability agenda in Asia, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur has been selected as one of the three global United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) centres alongside New York City and Paris to coordinate continent-wide sustainability initiatives for Asia, the Americas and Europe/ Africa respectively.

SDSN for Asia will be based at Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University, to host the KL office of the SDG Academy, and to lead flagship programmes of SDSN in the region. With the objectives of strengthening SDSN’s impact in Asia, the office will work in consultation with colleagues at Sunway University, Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, and other key regional partners.

Sunway was founded on the concept of sustainability with the rehabilitation of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, a former tin-mining site turned into a vibrant sustainable township serving a community of more than 200,000 people. The success of Sunway’s flagship smart and sustainable city has been replicated in Sunway City Ipoh and Sunway City Iskandar Puteri in Johor. Sunway actively launches initiatives that are in line with the sustainable development agenda as well as its vision for Sunway City Kuala Lumpur to be the test bed for Sunway Living Laboratory (Living Lab) bringing researchers, experts and academia to generate real-world solutions for the betterment of the environment and mankind. Living Lab aims to foster innovations as well as generate and incubate ideas to address challenges in the modern world. This year, Sunway’s initiatives include launching 42KL, a groundbreaking coding school that offers peer-to-peer learning with zero tuition fees, and Sunway FutureX Farm, Malaysia’s first-ever skills building hub on urban farming innovations to address food security.

As Sunway University reaffirms their commitment to advancing the 17 UN SDGs, they are launching the “Are You the Master of Sustainability?” board game. The multiplayer board game aims to create awareness and understanding of the 17 UN SDGs, where players can learn and play their part in preserving the earth’s resources for future generations. Sunway University’s staff from JSC and students of the Master in Sustainable Development Management programme played a role in the game’s design, development, and the crafting of questions to educate players on the need to find solutions to some of the most pressing social and environmental issues in Malaysia and the world today.

“At Sunway University, we are dedicated to championing sustainability within and around campus in the continuous effort to make the world a stronger and greener place. By instilling sustainable practices into the various aspects of university experience, we hope to nurture a community of socially and ecologically responsible individuals for today and tomorrow. We believe that greater knowledge of the UN SDGs will result in a new generation of leaders who will drive solutions to solving social and environmental issues, and guide us through a more sustainable trajectory,” said Sunway Education Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elizabeth Lee.

“The UN SDGs encompass several urgent issues in the world today such as global poverty, access to education, climate change and the need for responsible consumption and production. The “Are You the Master of Sustainability?” board game will certainly be an interesting tool to help spread awareness as well as knowledge of the UN SDGs. As with most board games, people of all ages can play”, said Sunway University Vice-Chancellor Professor Graeme Wilkinson. 

“Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, our very own Founder and Chancellor of Sunway University is an advocate for the environment and sustainable development. As a collective whole, it is our purpose at Sunway to educate as many as we can to be responsible citizens and do our small bit for the benefit of the environment, and our future generations. We are constantly stepping up our efforts to improve current practices and doing more to protect and preserve our planet. This year, we hope to reach out, create awareness and advance the UN SDGs to a wider audience with the “Are You the Master of Sustainability?” board game,” added Dr. Lee.

The 1st edition of the Sunway Education Group “Are You the Master of Sustainability?” board game will be gifted to various corporate leaders in recognition of their support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Sunway’s commitment to advancing UNSDG

Sunway is deeply committed to advancing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and has incorporated these practices in its township developments throughout the nation.

At the forefront of this global effort is the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Malaysia’s largest education-focused social enterprise, established by Sunway founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah who is also Chair of SDSN Malaysia Leadership Council and a Member of the UN SDSN Leadership Council. In 2016, JCF endowed USD10 million to the United Nations to establish the Jeffrey Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development (JSC) at Sunway University.

JSC serves as the Southeast Asia regional hub for research and policy practice, delivering world-class programs to train students, practitioners and policy leaders on sustainable initiatives while working in collaboration with industry, agencies, government bodies and universities worldwide. In line with this, JSC launched the Master in Sustainable Development Management Programme at Sunway University in 2018.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the Agenda provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At the core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership, acknowledging that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

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